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Have you ever been in love? Maybe you say, “I love you" to your parents, spouse, or children. We’ve heard “God is Love," “Love your neighbor," and
“All you need is love." We find jobs, spend time with people, have children, and even start wars. . .all because of some idea that we have about love. Unless you're moping around at home alone on Valentine's Day, most people think love is wonderful. But what, really, is love? And what does that have to do with fear? What would be different for you if love authentically created and shaped your life? Looking at a topic from a different perspective can often give us insight and understanding. In that light, to explore the idea of love further, let’s turn to the field of physics. Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that attempts to describe and explain how things work and behave on a very small level. We all know that everything is made up of matter. As you start to go smaller and smaller we find atoms. Once we get down as small as we can get (at least for now), we discover that everything is made up of energy.
Your body, your TV set, your dog, the trees in the park, and even your toaster are ultimately made up of millions of particles of energy. Energy is constantly flowing in and around us. (If you’d like to see a movie that talks about love and quantum mechanics in a fun and enlightening way, I recommend that you rent “What the Bleep Do We Know?") Physicists refer to protons, electrons, quarks, and leptons. Some people talk about “vibes" that they get from certain places or people. George Lucas, in his Star Wars movies called it “The Force." Some people call it love. It’s all energy. When there is energy, there is vibrancy and life. When there is no or little energy there is stagnation, or death. Have you ever had a time in your life when everything seemed to be going well? There were no problems you couldn’t handle. People, circumstances, and everything seemed to go your way. Happiness seemed easy and natural. People often describe periods like this as “being in the flow." When energy is flowing, you could consider that to be love. Anything that stops or hinders the flow of that energy is can be thought of as fear. This fear shows up in life as anxiety, anger, depression, panic attacks, phobias, neurosis, physical pain, disease, and a number of other ways. To the degree that we can release whatever is causing the energy to be blocked and return to the flow, is the degree to which we can love. So often we try to get the perfect job, create the perfect relationship, or to get all of our “ducks in a row" in order to feel love and be happy. You’ve done this before, haven’t you? And how long did that happiness last? A few weeks? Several days? A few minutes? Then you found yourself looking for the next thing, comparing, judging, or worrying about losing what you just worked so hard to obtain. Within a short period of time, the very thing that you thought made you happy was now causing you some level of dissatisfaction. So how can you live your life in the flow of love? Rumi said, "There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." We are all on different paths. There are many books, tools, seminars, strategies, and teachers out there to help you. The best ones help you remember and re-discover the love that you already have - indeed that which you already are. To the degree that we have forgotten - to the degree that we have fallen asleep in our life - is the degree to which we suffer, or live in fear. Wake up and remember that you are the very thing you are searching for! Reading these words may or may not inspire or motivate you. That is not the point. Taking what you hear or read and using it in your life gives you the power to make a difference. Motivation from someone or something outside of you fades with time. Your positive responsibility - calling you to love the life you create, and create the life you love- dwells within you. It doesn’t matter what is happening or not happening right now. It doesn’t matter what you have done or not done. You have the ability right now in this moment to create love and be in that love in your life. Here is one question to help you begin: "What is one simple thing you can do for yourself today - or better yet RIGHT NOW - to let the love flow?" Here are two suggestions: 1. Remember “This Is It!" Right now, this very moment is all that you have. The past is gone. The future is an uncashed check. Nothing is guaranteed. This moment is not a rehearsal for some other moment to come. The more you remember to be in this very moment, and to live your life from this moment - just now, just here - the more you will experience the flow of energy and love in your life. Hopefully you will still learn from the past and plan for your future. But your life is lived – or missed – from moment to moment. Every moment you have a choice. What are you choosing? 2. Breathe! So often in life, we forget to deeply enjoy the life-giving force of our breath. Have you ever noticed the way that infants breathe - from their belly? As adults, most of us take shallow breaths that don’t even come close to filling the capacity of our lungs. Dogs, cats, and all animals that I’ve been able to watch, also breath from their belly – deep diaphragmatic breathes. Be mindful of your breath. If you are feeling stress or fear – STOP and take several deep breaths. On every inhale, feel that you are breathing in the energy of love. On every exhale, breathe out any negative emotion you are feeling. After a while you may begin to notice that there are no more negative feelings. At that point you will breathe in love, and exhale only love into the world. Fear or love? It’s your choice. The more you live your life from this moment, and keep your energy flowing through the breath, the more you can experience love in your life. You’ll notice as your energy flows that love expands, and you will experience more and more joy, freedom, peace, and laughter. As you go through your day, remember to be in the moment and be in your breath. You may discover something authentically wonderful. |
